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UPDATE: Saanich police consider charges after protesters stop traffic on Pat Bay Highway

Angry motorists detoured for 2 hours
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Protesters with a banner stating ‘RCMP off the yintah’ (Wet’suwet’en territory) blocked a section of the Pat Bay Highway near Elk Lake for approximately two hours Sunday evening. (Charles Bodi/Twitter)

Saanich police are looking for video footage and witness accounts after protesters blocked Highway 17 for more than two hours Sunday evening, driving angry motorists to social media to express their frustration.

Signalling their support for Wet’suwet’en demonstrations and the fight against fossil fuels, protesters blocked both directions of the Pat Bay Highway between Haliburton and Sayward roads in Saanich at around 5 p.m. on Nov. 21. The highway reopened shortly before 7:45 p.m.

The closure left traffic to detour through neighbourhoods with some motorists stuck on the highway until the roadway reopened.

Saanich police were on scene monitoring the protest. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms affords everyone the right to peaceful, safe and lawful assemblies, Saanich police said in a statement released Monday afternoon. While the group was peaceful, member actions were not safe or lawful. The department is conducting a criminal investigation which may result in a recommendation of charges.

Officers are appealing to the public for video. Witnesses may contact the Saanich police non-emergency line at 250-475-4321 or Detective Leanne Rowan at lrowan@saanichpolice.ca.

ALSO READ: Wet’suwet’en solidarity protest hits the streets in Victoria

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